Review: The campaign for real, modern UKG continues unabated over at Instinct, as another crew of like-minded bassbin botherers step up with their own fresh takes on the 2-step sound. Pinder is super speedy and tight as you like with "Forever", while Instinct regular 0113 gets freaky with the subtly tripped out "Hard Lines". Zac Stanton is perhaps the stand out turn on this 12" with the absolutely surefooted and sharply soulful "Stop Tellin Me". Holloway comes in strong on the B2 though, channeling that impeccable Ghost sound for the stripped and spooky "Places To Be". Classy club gear throughout, but especially on that B side.

Review: Garage house forever! Plastik People keep the fire burning like few others, and they press their intentions up clear as day with Danny J Lewis and Mike City's joyously catchy "I'm So 90s" with its sweet, soulful 'back in the 90s refrain'. It's sentimental and cheeky in equal measure, and the consummate garage house bumper from a label that do it so well. Marc Cotterell then pops up on the B side with "Jumpin '94", an organ soaked sizzler with delicious piano sprinkled on top and all the bump and flex you could wish for.

Review: The Instinct label continues to champion contemporary garage, this time welcoming Holloway to drop four sure shots guaranteed to go down a storm whether you're at a minimal night or a main stage festival rave up. Logan is spitting deft bars over "Turn Up", a crisp and cool stepper laced with smooth chords. "Evanition" juggles different energies from the mellow to the nasty with a classy touch, while "Echo Tone" gets a little more melodic flex into the mix. "Out Of Town Foes" maintains the soulful mood, while keeping the synth lines snappy and slick for those who prefer a little quirkiness in their club tunage.

Review: Following seven sterling 12"s that have established him as a serious player in the garage department, Burnski seals the deal on his Instinct alias with an album that blows the scope of the project wide open. Just listen to the stirring strings of opening track "Frozen" or the jungle-flecked urgency of "Home" and you'll hear new dimensions to the sound revealing themselves with each listen. Steeped in cinematic imagery and loaded with obsessive levels of attention to detail, it's a powerful artistic statement that pushes Instinct to the forefront of Burnski's creative concerns.

Review: The latest compilation 12" from Dungeon Meat brings together a heavyweight cast for a trip into the seedy underbelly of tech house. Leading the charge is Honey Dijon, who's on tough and heavy-grooving form with the low-end pulsing pump of "Blue Sky". Desert Sound Colony shakes things up with a quirky, bumping sample juggler in "Where Are Ya?" - calling to mind the madcap antics of Jacob London but less goofy and more mean tempered. Danielle Temperilli takes cues from UK garage for the crooked 2-step freakery of "Rattlesnake" - a wild card deep cut for the heads to get quizzical to.

Review: US Garage is alive and well thanks to the sterling work of Plastik People, although in this case they've turned their attention to the South Eastern hemisphere and the impeccable work of Australian producer Meraki Soul. The vocal chops, swinging drums and cheery melodic flourishes on Scott Diaz's dub mixes of "Damn Sure" on the A side doff their cap to Todd Edwards with pride, and you can hear the Defected regular's studio prowess coming through at every angle of the mix. The original however is the one to dig into if you want a smoother ride, with Meraki Soul conjuring up the kind of warm, soul-inflected sound that could suit such a wide range of situations.

Review: Plastik People are unabashed about their love of UK garage, and they're at it once again with the pumped up swanging and banging of Ray Hurley. "The Message" even sports a charmingly British MC standing up for our right to party, freestyling over a hyped-up 4 x 4 beat and classic chord stabs. "Believe In Me" is a little housier but not at the expense of the garage heat that keeps this track bumping righteously. "Oh My Boy!" is the peak time belter on the record, keeping the stabs urgent and maximising on the Jamaican lilt of the MC to bring a ruffer end result to get the whole place shouting, "Oi!"

Review: While volume two of Dat Pressure's Rip N Run may have already hit the streets, now they're back-pedalling to volume one - OCD garage heads rejoice. As ever label boss Noodles is on hand with more essential wares from the vaults, this time enlisting the mighty Dub Child as a partner in crime. These jams veer towards the breakstep end of the garage spectrum, all boom bap drums and stuttered grooves, not least on the massive but spacious "We Go." "Zip It Up" packs in plenty of rootsy dub tones and soul vocal licks to match the skittering drums, and "Smoking Circles" gets into an almost techy strain of broken beat honed for serious dancefloor consumption. Just hold tight for the bass drop on that last one - it's a monster.

Review: Mid '90s veteran Crazy Bank is back with the label he dropped his original heat on, Blahh! Records. Al Temper has been otherwise engaged since the turn of the millennium, but now he's back in action with some heaters that carry a torch for classic garage but don't get lost to nostalgia. "One, Two" is a 4x4 bumper with some deadly diva chops and organ keys to die for, but it's also fresh in its execution. The "Beforethebeatsbreak" remix of the track nudges the key down and makes for a slightly more sultry affair, while Perception's take sends the original in the direction of mellow, soulful 2-step. CB Step completes the set with another chilled version that works a little house shuffle into the mix, not to mention some artfully chopped breaks.

Review: Already in the ether since December last year, the debut album from Kodama (also known as Acid Lab) has been rousing Urban Poetry fans for several months already. Now it's even further out into the cosmos and its glacial, isolating sounds seem even more fitting for the times. Ambient in spirit, wonderfully vast in nature, the atmospheres and moods play the lead role, creating their own world regardless of tempo and style. But within those styles you'll stumble over woozy half time, you'll trip over loose-limbed UKG and fall head over heals into the vast spaces of broken techno littered throughout. A truly impressive and immersive piece of work.

Review: Brentford's finest pirate radio crew turned BBC sitcom stars have finally made it onto CD. For those familiar with the ebb and flow of their acclaimed People Just Do Nothing series, The Lost Tape is something of a treat. Presented as a non-step Korupt FM broadcast complete with Chabuddy G intro, skewed Steves mixing and rhymes from Grindah and DJ Beats, it's a memorable romp through the history of British garage and grime with a few exclusives and never-before-heard tracks thrown in. Stylistically, it's eerily reminiscent of many pirate radio mixtapes from back-in-the-day - which, of course, is the idea - but with the added bonus of laugh-out-loud moments amongst the scene anthems from Sunship, Wookie, DJ Zinc, Youngstar, Wiley, Dizzee and the boys themselves.

Review: Kode9, Actress and Martyn: it's the ultimate forward leaning electronica menage a trois isn't it? "You Don't Wash", which featured on Hyperdub boss Kode9's recent DJ-Kicks mix, gets a 12" release here on !K7 Records. First up is the flying Dutchman Martyn, whose remix showcases his inimitable brand of shuffling, raw percussion and rumbling bass, while Spaceape's vocals are chopped and rearranged to jostle with some intriguingly tense strings. Werk Discs chief Actress, the producer of one of 2010's best albums, turns the original into a warped Latin-tinged hip shaker with jingling, out of phase chimes and whistles.

Review: Kode9, Actress and Martyn: it's the ultimate forward leaning electronica menage a trois isn't it? "You Don't Wash", which featured on Hyperdub boss Kode9's recent DJ-Kicks mix, gets a 12" release here on !K7 Records. First up is the flying Dutchman Martyn, whose remix showcases his inimitable brand of shuffling, raw percussion and rumbling bass, while Spaceape's vocals are chopped and rearranged to jostle with some intriguingly tense strings. Werk Discs chief Actress, the producer of one of 2010's best albums, turns the original into a warped Latin-tinged hip shaker with jingling, out of phase chimes and whistles.

Review: The Busy Twist run a really interesting operation... Inspired by the UK's bass movement, the London-based producers have recorded extensively in their native Ghana, giving this a truly international tongue. A fine case in point is Drumtalk's remix of the brilliantly titled "Auntie Fatty": riddled with all manner of chopped up chants and percussion, there's a very familiar riff on the drop. "Floor Excitement" is another highlight; the vocals are reminiscent of a Wookie plate but delivered with heartwarming gusto. Technically this is an EP... But with such a bounty of tropical treats, this is almost album material.

Review: Seminal Manchester street soul from 96; Bovel's "Check 4 U" had anthem status in clubs and on pirates throughout the city at the time but suffered limited pressing and an OG copy has been known to be priced at 2000 quid. Revitalised by Ruf Dug and Bovel herself, it now comes complete with a superb UKG update from Metrodome which maintains the feel of the era but with the pace and punch of the times. Limited to 1000 copies.

Review: To celebrate 15 years of Cr2 Records, the label has decided to put out a variety of special releases to celebrate. Up first is 1990 garage banger from dance music veteran Paul Rayner & FevaSoul (an MC with more than 25 years in the game) that was recorded to DAT then forgotten about, until now. It's already getting hammer by the likes of Slapfunk founding brothers Julian Alexander and Samuel Deep. It's all slick drums, low slung bass loops and clipped vocal stabs that ooze cool. Lively, warm and infectious, this one is sure to become something of an underground anthem this season.

Review: Sam Shackleton's "Deadman" was the surprise hit of his recent Fabric mix - a sought-after gem that took his particular take on techno and dubstep in a thrilling new direction. Now, it's finally available on vinyl, alongside an impressive King Midas Sound remix from Kevin Martin. "Deadman" itself is the one for club plays, an intoxicating fusion of conga-led percussion - influenced, one expects, by the tropical beats of UK funky's most forward-thinking practitioners - and his usual densely layered atmospherics. The King Midas Remix, meanwhile, offers a spaced-out, heavily ambient take that delights and confuses in equal measure.

Review: Honest Jon's present the last twelve inch instalment of their impossibly varied Shangaan Shake remix project with the perma excellent MMM and Old Apparatus at the helm. Fiedel and Wiegand's take on the Tshetsha Boys is notable for two things: firstly it continues the duo's recent fascination with rhythms of a decidedly UK Funky nature (as executed with devastating effect on their recent Dex/Rio 12") and it further strengthens the impression Honest Jon's have given the commissioned artists a blank canvas to retain or toss as many elements of the source material as they deem fit. Thus recognisable snippets of the vocals remain alongside a brilliantly twisted treatment of the tinny melodics wrapped infinitely around butt slapping drum textures. Completely different in tone and execution, the elusive Old Apparatus invoke the spirit of Scratch Perry at his most intoxicatingly brilliant with a rusted, half stepping arrangement caked in all manner of feedback which serves to demonstrate how far reaching the project has been over the course of the 12" releases.

Review: Watch your bassbins! Dogpatrol debuts on Sneaker Social Club following a string of fine releases elsewhere, and as you'd expect the resultant tracks are notably sub-heavy. For proof, check lead cut "Clownery", a bustling, mind-altering garage number that peppers two-step beats with cut-up female vocal samples and fuzzy, experimental techno type electronics, and the mangled but inspired track that follows, "Do Not Follow Us", where lo-fi bleeps and dub techno-esque chords bubble away above a rolling garage groove. He doffs a cap to UK funky on bouncy B-side opener "The Return Of The Gorgons" - a suitably cheeky and silly workout - while "Serena" is a percussively intricate skip through weighty post-dubstep pastures.

Review: Roska dusts off his rare Bakongo alias for a trip down Livity street with three technoid excursions. Every bit as sci-fi as they are bashy; opener "Momoweb" lights the touch-paper with angular android skittishness, ping-ponging back and forth as though Modeselektor have been given the keys to UK funky tank. "Disposition" twirls with a flourishing reverse loop and steppy hi-hats in a way that wouldn't go amiss in a Rolando set, while "Goulbap" closes on a more stripped back bashment trip, all creepy and laced with decaying harmonics. Goulishly good.

Review: The Mancunian tones of Swamp81's resident MC Chunky are well known to those who tune in to the label's Rinse FM show on a regular basis. However, this debut EP, forwent any kind of vocal showcase for the kind of hefty, refined fusion of garage and techno we've come to expect from Loefah's empire. Arriving as a 12" doublepack featuring four tracks, The Chunky EP shows Chunky to have the production chops to match his skills on the microphone, showcasing a wide range of influences channeled through a uniquely dark mood; "Decca" is a straight up piece of rolling deep house with a shadowy basement vibe, while "Experiment 727? recalls the syncopated techno of Bambounou or Boddika's leaden beats, while on the second 12?, "Thang" is a masterclass in stripped back garage mechanics, and "Rugged" provides a lo-fi beat that ploughs the darkest recesses of instrumental grime for inspiration.

Review: Wonky and off-kilter cuts from London-based producer Eleanor Pinfold aka Elles. This release is her first for Violet's Lisbon-based imprint Naive, and follows her 2019 release "emo_ecstasy_everything" on their experimental sub-label Naivety. Eloquently described as "a melodic ode to melancholy moments spent in clubs and broken romances captured in the snapshots of a strobe", UK club sounds of various eras definitely permeate these tracks. From the intoxicating slo-mo bass of "Gotchu" to the cheeky 2-stepper "Put On Our Classics" or the classic house throwback sounds of "End Of The Nite". All life-affirming vocals and hands in the air pianos that hark back to the namesake of the EP's title.

Review: Following dope authenticity from the likes of Benny Ill and El-B, rising South London label GD4YA unleash another sublime session. This time courtesy of the anonymous SW2 (possibly an alias), the vibes are set just a few months ahead in sunnier climes as each sweet two-step groove shimmers with a sun-kissed jazziness. "New Park Bruk" struts like it's peaktime CoOp era at Plastic People, "3am" shuffles and pushes with a Detroit-like insistency while "All 4 You" (and its crucial El-B remix) will leave you swooning. Think Sun Ship, think Zed Bias, think bliss. Let the good times roll...

Review: After a series of self-released tracks and remixes on labels such as Fool's Gold and Guns In The Sun, Jerome LOL jumps over to Friends Of Friends with this stunning four track EP. Expressing his most expansive soundset, each one of these tracks shows a whole new side to him. "Always" sounds like Disclosure performed by a full live band with Sara Z's lyrics hitting spots very few house records ever can. "True", meanwhile, is a cosmic, navel gazing slice of black soul that wouldn't go amiss on a Trentemoller record. Elsewhere we're slapped into slo-mo shuffle submission by "Deleted" and pummelled by industrial strength rhythms on "Fool". An exceptional EP, don't buy this for the LULZ, buy it for the LOL.

Review: Jimmy Asquith is undoubtedly best known for being the man behind the ever-growing Lobster Theremin label, though he does have production pedigree following a string of releases under the Chicago Flotation Device and Tom Hang aliases. Here he uses his surname as a pseudonym for the first time, serving up a two-track missive that bristles with celebratory peak-time intent. The A-side "NYC Mix" of "The Conditioning Track" is a percussive, energy-packed treat, with sweaty vocal stabs rising above a deliciously heavy and distorted rhythm track and a mind-altering UK garage style bassline. The flipside "North London Mix" is similarly tough, albeit a little less percussively intense and more musically rich thanks to the addition of a classic deep house motif. Recommended.